Every Rock Has A Tale To Tell

Every Rock Has A Tale to Tell At Creswell Crags

Mammoth moments for all the family are guaranteed with ice age discoveries, cave art, witch markings, bats, hyenas, den making, and wildlife galore. Made takes a journey into the extraordinary world of North Notts’ famous gorge…

All imagery featured courtesy of Creswell Crags. Ice Age rock cave art. Image courtesy of Paul Bahn.

Straddling the borders between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, the limestone cliffs that rise majestically within the Creswell Crags gorge are certainly eye openers, and at first glance offer an arresting backdrop for a wonderful walk; caressing the sides of the gorge with its wildflowers and river, and a haven for wildlife. Indeed this is a location that has for years provided an exquisite hiking and picnic retreat, but it’s the history of Creswell Crags which really commands attention…

Considered as one of Europe’s most important archaeological landscapes, the network of caves and rock shelters within the 0.5km long gorge preserve rich sequences of archaeology and palaeontology, which provide an incredibly rare opportunity to illustrate how our early ancestors lived and a unique testimony to the adaptive response of hunter-gatherer cultures across northwest Europe during the last Ice Age. It was one of the most northerly places on earth to have been visited by our ancestors, making it unique on a European and World scale. The caves and fissures, a result of millions of years of erosion through water flow, have offered shelter for hominids for 50,000 years.

Neanderthals sought shelter in the gorge’s caves whilst they were following migrating animals, and woolly mammoths roamed the surrounding lands. They left behind flint hand axes and animal bones with traces of butchery marks. Later, around 30,000 years ago, the first modern humans left more advanced flints and shaped bone and antler tools as evidence of their occupation. The last group of Old Stone Age hunters used the caves around 11-13,000 years ago, leaving a fine shaped flint - known as Creswell Points - along with several pieces of decorated bone that included a human figure and a horse’s head, now in the museum.

Discoveries continue to be made, offering a sustained trove of archaeological treasure. In 2003 the first example of British

Cave tours, this image shows a birthday party group exploring.

Paleolithic cave art was found in one of the caverns; the only known British example. The designs consisting of engravings of a pair of birds and an animal, which is likely to be an Ibex. These incredible finds only reinforce the sheer importance of the gorge and a unique insight into our past.

Other finds have indicated that the caves continued to be used sporadically through the Mesolithic and Neolithic up until Roman times and even into the Middle Ages but unfortunately heavyhanded Victorian excavations have resulted a loss of valuable evidence.

A fascinating discovery came about in 2019 when 17th and 18th Century Witch Marks were uncovered in Robin Hood Cave. Previously thought to be graffiti, they have been identified as apotropaic witch markings - used to keep evil spirits away, often found in churches and houses. How they came to be at Creswell is still a mystery but they are the largest number of examples found anywhere in the UK.

Another interesting facet of Creswell Crags, perhaps not as widely known outside of the art world, is that the gorge featured as the backdrop for the celebrated artist George Stubbs who was renowned for his paintings of horses. Two such works include ‘A Grey Hunter with a Groom and a Greyhound at Creswell Crags’ and ‘Horse Frightened by a Lion’ - both on display at the Tate.

Today, Creswell Crags in all its archaeological glory has become an educational hotspot. Complete with an award-winning museum, gift shop, cafe, picnic areas and a mammoth themed playground - it provides year rounds cave tours and events, and is a stunning walking area within the Welbeck and Clumber routes. The land sits within the Welbeck Estate and enjoys status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its rare wildlife. The lake is a highlight for walkers, created by the Duke of Portland, and the Duke’s Dam is one of the most well known views in the local area.

What to see and do… Our round-up of a few favourites

• Stroll along the gorge. The

Magnesian Limestone is a true wonder to behold. Dogs are welcome, on leads, and there are several walking paths with info boards.

• Join a Rock Art Tour, which takes you into Church Hole, on the Northerly side of the gorge. You will discover the unique, fascinating and world famous engravings that are on the walls and ceiling.

Discover Robin Hood’s Cave, the largest cave on the site. Legend has it that it provided a hide out for the famous outlaw to evade capture by the Nottingham shire authorities. It was also a popular home for people during the Ice Age.

• Don’t miss the fascinating

Witch Mark Tour, during which you will see hundreds of protective marks that have been discovered at

Creswell Crags.

• Venture into the museum for a fascinating journey back to the Ice Age. Kids will love the chance to walk in the footsteps of the Ice

Age hunters. Discover stone tools and even a Hippo’s jaw. Look out for key arte facts, such as:

1) The Ochre Horse - on loan from the collection from the

British Museum - is an en graving of a horse’s head on a bone, coloured with ochre pigment, discovered in 1876 by renowned archaeologist

Sir William Boyd Dawkins in the Robin Hood Cave. The only portable art of this age showing an animal - over 12,000 years old.

2) Pinhole Cave Man - found in the Pinhole Cave in 1928, this is an engraving of a male figure on a wooly rhi noceros rib bone, another long term loan from the Brit ish Museum.

3) Eric the Hyena - this is a nearly complete prehistoric baby hyena skeleton - and a favourite with children. You can enter a hyena den at the gorge.

4) Creswell Point - a piece of flint, knapped into a point. Creswell points are named after Creswell Crags but have been found elsewhere.

• Enjoy a picnic in the mead ow - the perfect backdrop for a spot of lunch. The cafe, with locally sourced pro duce from the Welbeck Estate, has plenty of goodies.

Play Discoverer - keep your eyes peeled for any previ ously overlooked remains. Discoveries have included flintstone tools and frag ments of lynx, bear, bison, reindeer and hyena bones…

• Join a Bat Night Event - there are up to nine different species of bats living in the caves.

www.creswell-crags.org.uk